First Day Of Ceasefire: Four Explosions Shake Afghanistan, 11 Civilians Killed

Illustration of an explosion in Afghanistan. (Wikimedia Commons/POA (Phot) Sean Clee)

JAKARTA - At least 11 civilians were killed and 13 others injured in four separate bombings in Afghanistan on Thursday, May 13, hours after a three-day ceasefire began across the country to mark Eid al-Fitr, local officials said.

While there were no immediate reports of fighting between Taliban guerrillas and government forces as they observed a temporary ceasefire, roadside bombs continued to inflict casualties on civilians.

"A roadside bomb hit a car in panjwai district in southern Kandahar Province, killing five civilians, including a woman and a child, provincial police spokesman Jamal Naser Barekzai told Reuters Thursday, May 13.

"In another incident, two children were killed and three adults injured when a roadside bomb exploded under a taxi in Maiwand district in the same province," Barekzai added.

Meanwhile, a sticky bomb mounted on a civilian car exploded in northern Kunduz province, killing two civilians and wounding 10 others, said Enhamuddin Rahmani, spokesman for the provincial police chief.

Two civilians were also killed by a roadside bomb in central Ghazni province, officials said.

For the record, the three-day ceasefire announced by the Taliban and noticed by the government comes at a time when violence is escalating sharply in Afghanistan following the announcement of Washington's plan last month to withdraw all United States troops on September 11.

Afghan security forces had launched an operation to retake a Taliban-held district outside the capital Kabul, in the neighboring province of Wardak on Wednesday, but were stopped from observing the ceasefire.

A day earlier, Taliban guerrillas had killed or captured several government soldiers and forced others to retreat after storming the Nerkh district, less than an hour's drive from Kabul.